Two Stellenbosch Sociologists in the Public Arena: H. F. Verwoerd (1901–1966) and F. vZ. Slabbert (1940–2010). Exploring Sociological Points of Departure and Political Linkages

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ABSTRACT This article deals with two sociologists in different eras from the Stellenbosch University department. It notes that at times there is a tendency for sociologists to play a role outside the strictly academic terrain. Various categories and levels of such involvement can be discerned. The central issue in the article is to assess whether there were possible linkages—divergent as they might have been—between sociological training and elements of H. F. Verwoerd’s and F. vZ. Slabbert’s political outlooks. It calls for an explication of the sociological beliefs and theoretical perspectives they subscribed to and the ramifications thereof.